Abstract

RIOS-PONCE, Marco Antonio; GUEVARA-CRESPO, Nicole Doménica  and  ALVAREZ-VALENCIA, Juan Francisco. Characteristics and perception of households with child obesity in Cuenca, Ecuador. Rev. esc.adm.neg [online]. 2020, n.88, pp.207-220.  Epub June 08, 2021. ISSN 0120-8160.  https://doi.org/10.21158/01208160.n88.2020.2694.

The rates of child obesity in Ecuador have increased over the previous 20 years. Given this panorama, this article aims at identifying the characteristics of households with child obesity in Cuenca, Ecuador, as well as their perception or behavior regarding child obesity and marketing tools such as advertising, promotions, and merchandising. It is by means of an exploratory-descriptive, cross-sectional, and quantitative research, that is possible to identify a statistical correlation between different marketing strategies and childhood obesity, as 75% of the parents that were surveyed responded that promotional tactics influence their purchasing decisions. It was also possible to determine that anomalies in children's weight - obesity and overweight - are conditioned by external factors, including elements from the marketing mix, such as advertising, not only in the media but at the point of sale, influencing household purchasing behavior and thus promoting unhealthy habits for the child population. On the other hand, it became clear that obesity increases in the lower socioeconomic levels. Physical activity is replaced by media entertainment activities: 84% of children spend between 1h/day and 5h/day. Finally, it should be noted that the example set by parents or caregivers is a determining factor in the problem.

Keywords : marketing; marketing mix; merchandising; packaging; advertising; purchasing behavior; child obesity.

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